Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 288 The Sin of Pride
Qi, Yuzhou, Runan County, Xuanhu City.

On the city walls, flags were flying, and soldiers were holding powerful crossbows, staring at the enemies outside the city with eager eyes.

Chen Changshi was wearing armor and staring at the enemy in the distance.

The hand holding the sword began to tremble slightly.

Outside the city, there were densely packed tents of the Zhou people. The Zhou people surrounded the city so tightly that no one could get in or out. Chen Changshi could not tell how many enemies there were. He only knew that there were enemy troops on all sides, and one catapult after another appeared outside the city.

Under the city wall, civilians were busy reinforcing the city.

Some soldiers were carrying stones and other things and storing them in various places.

Chen Changshi was observing when he saw that the Zhou army formation on the opposite side suddenly split up. Chen Changshi was shocked and was about to give orders to prepare for battle when he saw a carriage rushing out from the Zhou army formation and heading towards here.

The soldiers on the carriage raised a flag order, a short red flag waving left and right, meaning not to shoot.

When Chen Changshi saw that no one followed them, he ordered not to shoot.

The carriage came to the outside of the city and entered the shooting range of bows and crossbows. The carriage stopped and a scholar stood up from the carriage and looked towards the top of the city.

"I am the messenger!!"

"I have come to pay my respects to the Governor!!"

"Please open the gate and let me in!!"

"I have something important to discuss with the governor!"

The scribe was quite young and was shouting loudly at this moment.

Many soldiers looked at Chen Changshi. Chen Changshi looked around and said loudly: "The enemy is afraid of the strength of our city and dare not attack, so they sent this kind of villain to come to us!!"

"Don't pay any attention to him! Just shoot him!"

"No!!"

Someone was shouting and jogging towards the main gate tower from the city wall not far away. Chen Changshi turned around and looked at him suspiciously.

The Beijia walked up to the Changshi, panting.

"Mr. Chen, how can you kill envoys when two countries are at war? How can you shoot them when you don't even know what they are going to say? Besides, shouldn't the governor make the decision on this matter?"

Chen Changshi had no choice but to send someone to inform the governor according to Beijia's suggestion.

Soon, the governor replied and ordered the chief secretary and others to escort the envoy to the government office.

Chen Changshi had nothing to say, so he opened the city gates and escorted the Zhou envoy to the government office together with his deputy.

The city was extremely desolate. The shadow of war had turned the once bustling Runan City into almost a ghost town. Except for the laborers who were transporting supplies and cooperating in the war, almost no one dared to go out.

The gate of the courtyard was blocked for fear of being robbed by the rebels.

Faint sounds of crying could be heard from everywhere.

The government office in Yuzhou has a different style.

Yuzhou is different from the wild and desolate places like the frontier. The government offices here have a long history. The architectural style is very retro, but it does not look old at all. The courtyard walls are tall, and although the green plants are withered, their locations have been studied according to Feng Shui, and they look extraordinary.

There was no dark cloud in the government office yet. Although it was not as lively as before, the servants were still busy doing their own work.

In the distance, someone was renovating the cellar and taking out the freshest fruits.

Someone in the south is pruning branches and cutting off the excess ones.

Someone in the north was brushing a horse. The horse was cleaned thoroughly and the horse slave carefully braided a beautiful braid for the horse and hung various decorations on it.

Chen Changshi grabbed the messenger and took him to the inner room.

There were many books in the room. Governor Wang was wearing a simple robe, dressed like a famous scholar. He held a book in his hands with a calm expression.

Looking at his calm appearance, Chen Changshi couldn't help but praise him in his heart. He was indeed a celebrity from a prominent family. He was different from ordinary people. The enemies had already gathered outside the city, but he was not panicked at all.

When the messenger saw Governor Wang, his eyes lit up.

"Zhou sent Guo En to meet the governor!"

The messenger paid great tribute.

Governor Wang slowly put down the book and looked at the messenger.

"General Quan led a large army to attack us, surrounded us but did not attack us, and sent an envoy to us. What is his intention?"

The messenger hurriedly said, "My general is kind and does not want to start a war and kill soldiers and civilians. He sent me here specifically in the hope that the governor can abandon the dark and join the light and submit to the Great Zhou."

Chen Changshi immediately laughed out of anger.

"Quan Jingxuan has a good plan. We still have 50,000 elite soldiers in the city! Including the civilians who help defend, the number can reach more than 100,000! The city is tall and solid, and there are countless food and grass in the city, enough for us to eat for many years. If he wants to surrender, it is better to let him surrender to Da Qi! Otherwise, he will die outside this city and ruin his reputation!"

Guo En glared at him, "A hundred thousand troops? Even Yecheng can't muster a hundred thousand troops. Don't think we don't know that your city has only ten thousand defenders. Today, the general came to persuade us with courtesy, why are you so rude?!"

Chen Changshi was stunned.

"How dare you, a fake Zhou villain, be so arrogant in my city?!"

He looked at Governor Wang, "Governor, please kill him as a sacrifice!!"

Guo En was even more displeased and glanced at him, "Just try it!!"

"enough!"

Governor Wang interrupted them and looked at Guo En calmly, "The two countries were originally at peace, why did you attack?"

"How can we be at peace with Liu Taozi who attacked my cliff and killed my general?"

"You killed too few people. You should let the Prince of Pingcheng attack your Chang'an and kill your emperor!"

Chen Changshi cursed again.

Governor Wang couldn't help it, "Xu Beijia! Take the chief secretary and guard outside the door!!"

Xu Biejia helplessly pulled Chen Changshi and walked out the door.

"Why are you so rude in front of the governor?"

Xu Biejia complained, but Chen Changshi was very angry, "How can we let the enemy be so arrogant in our city?"

"These bastards were frightened by our King Pingcheng and dared not attack from the north, so they could only invade from the south."

Xu Biejia glanced at the Chief Clerk and said, "Why do you always mention the Prince of Pingcheng? The Governor doesn't like him."

"You don't know. If you had met him once, you would know why I always mention him."

"Have you seen it?"

"Of course. A few years ago, when I was the county magistrate of Dongqiu, the king led his troops to Dongqiu County. At that time, some people blocked the road to complain. Well, forget it. I will tell you about these things later!"

Chen Changshi was eager to try. "The Zhou people are definitely not our opponents. How many soldiers does Quan Jingxuan have? Less than 30,000 at most, and they are not elite. It is ridiculous to think that we can take Yuzhou with such a small number of people! As long as we hold them back and wait for the reinforcements from the court, perhaps we can also be awarded a title for our military merits, and maybe we can follow Prince Pingcheng to attack Chang'an in the future!"

Xu Biejia narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

In the inner room, Guo En finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Governor Wang.

"Sir Governor, my general has seen the letter from your brother-in-law."

"What letter? I don't know."

Guo En was stunned for a moment, then slowly said, "It's like this, your brother-in-law is ready to surrender the city, but now there is a large army outside to oppress you, and someone inside is in trouble. You are helpless. Is this because of your fault, or because the Pseudo-Qi is unpopular and the people are divided? Please put the people in the city first and open the gate to surrender."

Wang Shiliang sighed deeply, his face full of sadness.

"I am loved by your majesty, even if there are internal and external troubles, how can I surrender so easily?"

"My general has always respected you and is willing to present a petition to confer you the title of Duke, General, and Commander-in-Chief."

"The people in the city are so innocent! Now that things have come to this, can I only die for my country?"

Wang Shiliang sighed sadly.

Guo En said hurriedly: "We are both from Taiyuan, and our two families have always been on good terms. We have had a deep friendship in the past. My cousin Guo Yan is now by the general's side, giving him advice and suggestions. With him as a guarantor, the prince does not have to worry at all!"

"Besides, in today's war, you have no hope of not losing your reputation."

"Well, then I'll go out of the city with you to accept the surrender."

Guo En smiled and stroked his beard.

Not long ago, Wang Shiliang's brother-in-law sent someone to contact Guo Yan. Guo Yan was Quan Jingxuan's deputy general and gave him advice. He and Wang were both from Taiyuan, the Taiyuan Wang family and the Taiyuan Guo family.

From then on, the people of Zhou knew that Wang Shiliang was going to surrender, so they had no fear or worry.

Guo En was about to speak when he suddenly remembered something, "Prince, it's just that the chief historian..."

"No problem."

The gates of Xuanhu City were wide open.

The great general of the Great Zhou, Quan Jingxuan, rode a war horse and led everyone to the city gate.

Wang Shiliang lowered his head and knelt on the side of the road to greet him.

Quan Jingxuan quickly dismounted and helped him up himself, "Why must your Highness do this?"

"The King of Qi has lost his moral integrity. You don't want to see the casualties among the people in the city, so you surrendered. You are a kind person!"

Wang Shiliang wiped his tears. Guo Yan hurriedly stepped aside and said with emotion: "It is really touching that the prince has taken the blame for the sake of the world!"

Quan Jingxuan immediately ordered the pardon of everyone in the city and made preliminary rewards within his authority.

Even the deputy driver received a golden reward.

Above the city gate, a head was hanging alone.

The head stared with eyes wide open, his face full of disbelief and despair. Under the city tower, the wise men accepted the canonization, smiled and chatted.

A cold wind blew, and the head began to shake. It stared straight at the people under the city gate without saying a word.

Everyone walked into the city with laughter. Quan Jingxuan suddenly raised his head and looked at the lonely head.

"Who is that?"

Guo En, who was standing by, hurried forward and said with a smile, "General, this thief is the governor of the state. He was unwilling to surrender and was killed by the prince."

Quan Jingxuan didn't say anything. He looked at the head solemnly with a complicated expression in his eyes.

"Take it off."

"Buried."

"Ah, Wei, Wei."

The office remained calm.

In the distance, the servants were still renovating the cellar.

Those in the south are still cutting branches, while those in the north are still grooming their horses.

Everyone sat in the inner room, chatting and laughing, and the servants brought delicious food and placed it in front of everyone.

Guo Yan and Wang Shiliang had a great conversation and toasted each other frequently.

Quan Jingxuan sat in the upper seat, smiling and sipping his wine.

The banquet went well, and at the end, Wang Shiliang told Guo Yan about several interesting places in the city and suggested that he go and have some fun.

After seeing these people off, only Quan Jingxuan and Guo Yan were left in the room.

Guo Yan looked at Quan Jingxuan and smiled, "Does the general feel a little disgusted?"

"What do you hate?"

"A double-faced villain?"

"I don't hate it. If there are more people like this, fewer of my people will die."

Guo Yan smiled and took a sip of wine, "General, you are right. Fortunately, there are many people like this among the people of Qi."

"Now that we have taken over Yuzhou without any effort, the next step is Yongzhou."

"Yongzhou, I don't think it will cost anything."

"Oh?"

"Yongzhou Governor Xiao Shiyi is also your old friend?"

"Hahaha, I don't have that honor."

"This Governor Xiao is a member of the royal family in the south. He is the nephew of Liang Wu and a member of the royal family of the Xiao family. In terms of origin, he is even more powerful than the King of Taiyuan."

"My ancestor is Xiao He of the Western Han Dynasty. My mother's family is all descendants of Zhang Hua, a loyal minister of the Jin Dynasty."

Guo Yan seemed to joke for a few seconds, then suddenly said seriously: "Wang Shiliang surrendered, and he will definitely surrender."

"As long as the general can lead his troops there, he will definitely surrender."

"After we take over the two states, we can take a break and wait for good news from the Duke and Yang Yu."

Huaizhou, Wude County.

Thirty thousand elite troops are advancing at full speed in a mighty force.

The flags were like clouds and the sound of horse hooves was endless. Even the wild beasts in the dense woods on both sides were frightened and fled in all directions.

Yang Yu rode his warhorse and galloped at the forefront of the army.

When they arrived at a fork in the road, Yang Yu suddenly stopped, raised the general's flag, and the entire army stopped immediately.

Yang Yu narrowed his eyes and looked up at the road in the distance. There were scouts running back and forth, reporting the situation.

Han Sheng gripped the reins tightly, panting.

He looked at Yang Yu who was standing aside with unparalleled aura and said hurriedly:

"General, we are moving too fast! If we go any further, we will reach Liyang County!"

"You can stop and rest for now and wait for the follow-up military orders."

Yang Yu snorted coldly, raised his whip and pointed at the distance, "Liyang is nothing! I want to fight to Yecheng!"

"I used to lead a weak army, but I was able to defeat the Qi people and was invincible. Since I joined the army, I have fought against the Qi people more than 40 times and never lost a single battle! What is there to be afraid of the Qi people?!"

"The Duke asked me to go out and fight, isn't it to let me go deep into the enemy's territory so that they dare not rescue Luoyang without worries?!"

Han Sheng wiped the sweat off his face and said, "The general's reputation is known to everyone in the world. The Duke did ask us to threaten the Qi army, but we are too deep now. The map does not match the terrain here. The scouts are lost. We can't march like this anymore."

"So, General Han is better at fighting than me?"

Yang Yu asked lightly.

Han Sheng was speechless for a moment. He was just a civil official who was only temporarily accompanying the army to fight. How could he dare to compete with a brave general like Yang Yu?

Yang Yu was not bragging. He had indeed never been defeated and always maintained a 100% winning rate against the Qi people.

Yang Yu looked at the terrain in the distance with pride and said softly, "Now is a good time."

"Luoyang and other places are under siege, and the Qi people will definitely go to rescue them. The Jinyang and Yecheng soldiers will definitely be pulled out to fight. The army in Yecheng is not large to begin with. If more are pulled out, won't it become an empty city?"

"If we can reach Yecheng before the enemy has time to react, Yecheng will definitely surrender!"

"In one stroke, we can achieve the feat of destroying Qi!!"

Yang Yu's eyes were fanatical, but his strategy was clear.

Han Sheng immediately broke out in a sweat and asked, "Why are you so anxious and running all the way? Are you going to imitate Deng Ai and launch a surprise attack to destroy the country?"
"But, General, we are coming here with such fanfare. This is a government road, not a mountain road. The enemy should know where we are going."

"It doesn't matter if you know that. The Jinyang soldiers are too late to support us. How many soldiers can Yecheng have? Can they stop us?"

The scouts brought news at this time that the enemy was spotted in the north and seemed to be forming a battle line.

Yang Yu was overjoyed.

"These must be soldiers from Ye City. If they abandon the fortified city and take the initiative to fight, they will definitely be defeated!"

"Rest here, and join me in defeating the enemy army tomorrow!!"

On the opposite high slope, in a large area of ​​dead forest, Lou Rui was staring in the direction of Yang Yu's army, with anger flashing in his eyes.

"Yang Yu, this fellow, really doesn't take us seriously at all. He dares to line up and rest on the plain?"

"Good, good, good."

"Let General Han lead the archers to the west mountain to rest and adjust their positions. Let General Hou Mochen lead the troops to bypass the enemy and ambush the rear. Wait for my order."

"Let the cavalry start wearing heavy armor, get ready, and wait for my order!!!"

Here at Yang Xun's place, the soldiers were still setting up the camp, and he had deployed scouts on both sides. Some laborers were cutting down trees, and some were making a fire.

As for Yang Xun himself, he was discussing the attack route with several officers at this moment.

"After defeating this enemy army, we can head straight to Yecheng. If the enemy flees, they will definitely go to Jinyang. After passing Liyang, we can split our forces into two groups. One group will take Yecheng, and the other group will go to Jinyang. We will not allow the enemy to join forces with Jinyang."

Yang Xun proudly arranged his plan for after his victory.

The sound of war drums suddenly rang out.

The entire tent began to tremble, and dust billowed in the distance. Yang Yu was a little panicked. If they were soldiers from Yecheng, they would have come from afar. How could they dare to fight with him at this time? ?
Yang Yu quickly began to give orders, and the army gathered quickly. Heavy cavalry appeared on the official road in the distance and rushed towards the camp.

When the two sides were at war, Yang Jian put on armor and personally led the army to the front.

Suddenly, another army emerged from the mountains in the west, and taking advantage of the geographical advantage, they began to shoot at the Zhou army below, and the knights launched a fierce attack.

The situation changed in an instant. Yang Xun's garrison location was really bad, with low terrain and gentle slopes on both sides.

Yang Yu was not afraid. He rode his horse wildly, took the lead, attacked left and right, and ordered the army to retreat.

The army ambushed from the rear completely disrupted the Zhou army's formation. They were pressed on three sides, tens of thousands of people were constantly compressed, their range of movement became smaller and smaller, and they were squeezed into a ball.

The soldiers fell to the ground screaming and trampled on each other.

Yang Fu didn't even have time to react. When he tried to break through, he encountered the personal soldiers led by Lou Rui. Lou Rui led these people to fight against Yang Fu. Facing Yang Fu's crazy attack, he never retreated.

Yang Yu was exhausted.

The undefeated general, holding a horse lance, was surrounded by the enemy.

He looked around blankly.

The mountains and fields were filled with corpses, piling up into small hills. This was the price of arrogance.

Han Sheng's head was chopped off by the enemy and stuck on the flag. He died with his eyes open.

The Qi people, who became more and more fierce as the battle went on, surrounded him with spears in hand, and slowly moved forward with ferocity in their eyes.

Lou Rui was riding a warhorse, covered in blood, and he stared at the other party.

"Yang Yu."

"Would you like to live?"

Yang Yu was stunned and the lance suddenly fell from his hand.

(End of this chapter)